Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring hair

ABSTRACT

Device, systems, and methods are provided that can be used to monitor, examine, and/or analyze hair conditions and make suggestions to improve the hair conditions.

CROSS-REFERENCING

This application is a National Stage entry (§ 371) application ofInternational Application No. PCT/US18/65865, filed on Dec. 14, 2018,which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/598,750, filed on Dec. 14, 2017, the contents of which are reliedupon and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The entire disclosure of any publication or patent document mentionedherein is entirely incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides, among other things, devices, systems,and methods for monitoring and analyzing hair conditions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hair is not only important for aesthetic appeal of a person, but alsoreflects his/her health condition and/or living habits. The presentinvention relates to devices, systems, and methods that can be used tomonitor, examine, and/or analyze hair conditions and make suggestions toimprove the conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings, described below,are for illustration purposes only. The Figures do not intend to showthe elements in strict proportion. For clarity purposes, some elementsare enlarged when illustrated in the Figures. The dimensions of theelements in the Figure should be delineated from the descriptions hereinprovided and incorporated by reference. The drawings are not intended tolimit the scope of the present teachings in any way. In some Figures,the drawings are not in scale. In the figures that present experimentaldata, the lines that connect data points are for viewing the data onlyand do not have other means.

FIGS. 1A-C provide schematic illustrations of some embodiments of adevice for handling and monitoring hairs. A hair holder comprising afirst plate and a second plate. In some embodiments, the inner surface(i.e. the surface in contact with hair sample) are flat. In someembodiments, one of the plate has one or a plurality of grooves forrestricting the movement hairs for the location of the grooves.

FIG. 2A provides a schematic illustration showing an embodiment of thepresent invention. A hair holder comprising a first plate and a secondplate, wherein the plates accommodate a plurality of hairs and restrictthe movement hairs.

FIG. 2B provides a schematic illustration showing an embodiment of thepresent invention. A hair holder comprising a first plate and a secondplate with a groove, wherein the plates can accommodate at least onestrand of hair and restrict the movement of the one strand of hair.

FIG. 2C provides a schematic illustration showing a preferred embodimentof the present invention wherein the hair holder comprises a secondplate with a groove that has the preferred dimensions of range of 30□mto 100□m, which can accommodate one strand of hair.

FIG. 3 provides a schematic illustration showing an embodiment of adevice and a method to make at least a strand of hair into a fixedlocation of a sample card by hand, and the location is defined by agroove.

FIG. 4 provides a schematic illustration showing an optical design foran embodiment of the present invention, wherein the hair holder can beused together with an adaptor comprising optical components.

FIG. 5 provides exemplary images of hairs in the hair holder,demonstrating bright-field microscopy images of hairs sandwiched betweentwo plates.

FIG. 6. provides exemplary images of hairs in the hair holder,demonstrating bright-field images of hairs taken by a camera in a smartphone.

FIG. 7. provides an exemplary flow chart that demonstrates the processto monitor hairs from a subject.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description illustrates some embodiments of theinvention by way of example and not by way of limitation. If any, thesection headings and any subtitles used herein are for organizationalpurposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matterdescribed in any way. The contents under a section heading and/orsubtitle are not limited to the section heading and/or subtitle, butapply to the entire description of the present invention.

The citation of any publication is for its disclosure prior to thefiling date and should not be construed as an admission that the presentclaims are not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of priorinvention. Further, the dates of publication provided can be differentfrom the actual publication dates which can need to be independentlyconfirmed.

1. Definitions

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this disclosure belongs. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also beused in the practice or testing of the present teachings, some exemplarymethods and materials are now described.

The term “monitoring” and “examining” and “analyzing” areinterchangeable.

The term “subject” refers to any animal or person. In some embodiments,the term “subject” is a mammal that has hair.

The terms “hair” and “hairs” refer to any filament that is man-made orgrow from the skin of an animal or a person or otherwise derived from ananimal or a person. While “hair” refers to a single hair filament or acollection of all hairs from a subject, “hairs” refers to a plurality ofhair filaments.

The term “hair status” refers to one or more traits including but notlimited to hair density, hair color, hair smoothness, hair texture, hairthickness, hair curliness, and hair volume.

The term “imager” refers to a device or component of a device thatincludes optical parts and is configured to capture images of a sample(e.g., hairs). In some embodiments, the imager is camera. In certainembodiments, the imager is a camera that is part of a smart phone.

The term “detector” refers to devices that are configured to detectand/or measure signals gathered by the detector and/or otherdevices/components. In some embodiments, the detector refers to a mobiledevice. In certain embodiments, the detector is a smart phone.

The term “mobile device” refers to a detector that is a computing devicesmall enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile device includes,but is not limited to: mobile internet devices, tablet computers,laptops, wearable computers, calculator watches, smartwatches,head-mounted displays, personal digital assistants, enterprise digitalassistants, calculators, handheld game consoles, portable media players,ultra-mobile PCs, digital media player, digital still cameras (DSC),digital video cameras (DVC) or digital camcorders, mobile phones,smartphone, feature phones, pagers, personal navigation devices (PND),smart cards, or project Ara.

The term “software” refers to a series of instructions that areconfigured to direct, manipulate, and/or cause a processor (e.g. acentral processing unit) and associated hardware to perform specificfunctions, calculations, and/or operations. In some embodiments, thesoftware is stored in and used by a computing device.

The terms “monitoring”, “examining” and “analyzing” are interchangeable.

It will be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure are notlimited to analyzing hair (e.g., the sample can be hair). In certainembodiments, the sample can be a natural material (e.g., hair), asynthetic material (e.g., nylon), or a naturally occurring material thatis synthetically modified. The sample can be selected from the groupconsisting of hair, a glass fiber, a glass microfiber, a cellulosefiber, a nitrocellulose fiber, a cellulose acetate fiber, a nylon fiber,a polyolefin fiber, a polyester fiber, a polycarbonate fiber, apolypropylene fiber, a polyvinylidene difluoride fiber, a polyethylenefiber, a polystyrene fiber, a polyurethane fiber, a polyphenylene oxidefiber, a poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) fiber, aquartz fiber, a hydrophilic polymer/fiber, fiberglass, silk, spidersilk, seed fiber, leaf fiber, bast fiber, fruit fiber, stalk fiber,animal fibers (e.g., collagen, keratin, fibroin, wool, cashmere, camelhair, or avian fibers), chitin, chitosan, cotton, flax, hemp, jute,natural fiber composites, and any combination thereof. Hydrophilicpolymers/fibers can be polyester fibers, polyamide fibers orcarbohydrate polymer fibers.

In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the cross-sectionaldiameter of a sample (e.g., a natural fiber or a synthetic fiber) can beless than about 1000 microns (um), less than about 750 um, less thanabout 500 um, less than about 400 um, less than about 300 um, less thanabout 200 um, less than about 175 um, less than about 150 um, less thanabout 125 um, less than about 100 um, less than about 90 um, less thanabout 80 um, less than about 70 um, less than about 60 um, less thanabout 50 um, less than about 40 um, less than about 30 um, less thanabout 20 um, less than about 10 um, or less than about 5 um. In certainembodiments, the cross-sectional diameter of a sample (e.g., a naturalfiber or a synthetic fiber) can be a range between two values. Forexample, the cross-sectional diameter of a sample (e.g., a natural fiberor a synthetic fiber) can be between about 5 um and 500 um. In anotherexample, the cross-sectional diameter of a sample (e.g., a natural fiberor a synthetic fiber) can be between about 10 um and 250 um. In yetanother example, the cross-sectional diameter of a sample (e.g., anatural fiber or a synthetic fiber) can be between about 15 um and 200um.

2. Working Principle

It is often desirable to monitor (including analyze) the hair status ofthe hair of an animal or a person. In addition, when monitoring hairstatus, it is desirable to place the hair in a restricted space so thatimaging and/or processing of signals can be conducted reliably. In someembodiments, the present invention provides devices, systems, andmethods that can be used to restrict the movement of hairs andfacilitate monitoring hair status.

A. Hair Monitoring Device

In some embodiments, the present invention discloses an apparatus formonitoring hair status of a subject, the apparatus includes:

(a) a hair holder that is configured to accommodate a plurality of hairsand restrict the movement of the hairs, wherein the hair holdercomprises a liquid material that is in contact with the hairs, and

(b) an adaptor that is configured to connect the hair holder to a mobiledevice, wherein,

when attached to the mobile device, the adaptor positions the hairs inthe hair holder in a field of view of an imager, which is a part of oran entirety of the mobile device, wherein the imager is configured tocapture images of the hairs and the mobile device is configured toanalyze, or digitally transmit images of the hairs or processed resultsof the images of the hairs to a remote third party for further analysis.

B. Hair Monitoring Process

In some embodiments, the present invention discloses a process formonitoring hair status of a subject, the process includes:

-   -   (a) obtaining a hair holder that is configured to accommodate a        plurality of hairs and restrict movement of the hairs;    -   (b) obtaining an adaptor that is configured to accommodate the        hair holder and be attachable to a mobile device;    -   (c) placing hairs in the hair holder and inserting the hair        holder into the adaptor, wherein the hair holder comprises a        liquid material that is in contact with the hairs,    -   (d) attaching the adaptor to the mobile device;    -   (e) capturing images of the hair in the hair holder with an        imager, wherein the imager is a part of or the entirety of the        mobile device; and    -   (f) analyze, or digitally transmit images of the hairs or        processed results of the images of the hairs to a remote third        party for further analysis.

According to the present invention, the hair monitoring also include,but not limited, to the chemical and biological analysis of a hair. Thechemical analysis of the hair include, but not limited, to measuring thehair's PH value, and reactions with chemical reagents. The biologicalanalysis include analysis of proteins, nuclear acids, small molecules,cells, bacterial, virus, and others in or on a hair. The chem/bioanalysis are further disclosed in the rest of the disclosure.

3. Exemplary Embodiments

FIG. 1 provides schematic illustrations of some embodiments of a devicefor handling and monitoring hairs. A hair holder comprising a firstplate 20 and a second plate 10. In some embodiments, the inner surface(i.e., the surface in contact with hair sample) of second plate 10 isflat. In some embodiments, one of the plates (e.g., second plate 10) hasone or a plurality of grooves (100) for restricting the movement hairsfor the location of the grooves.

The first plate 20 and the second plate 10 are movable relative to eachother into different configurations, including an open configuration,and a closed configuration. The open configuration is a configurationthat the two plates are a part and the hairs are deposited on one orboth plates. In the closed configuration, the two plates (i) worktogether to restrict the deposited hair, or (ii) are in direct touch.

In some embodiments, there is a hinge 103 to connect the first plate 20and the second plate 10, so that they rotate from each other about thehinge 103.

In some embodiments, one or both of the plates comprises spacers (notshown in FIG. 1). More specification of the spacers is given in theother part of the disclosure.

FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 1C provide schematic illustrations of severalembodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, a hair holder500 comprises a first plate 20 and a second plate 10, wherein the platesaccommodate a plurality of hairs. In some additional embodiments, thehair holder 500 comprises a first plate 20 and a second plate 10 with agroove 100, wherein the second plate 10 with the groove 100 (located onthe inner surface) can accommodate at least one strand of hair andrestrict the movement of the at least one strand of hair. In someembodiments, the hair holder 500 comprises a liquid material that isconfigured to restrict the movement of the hairs. In some embodiments,the liquid material can solidify after a period of time and hold thehair in place for detection and measurement.

FIG. 2 provides a schematic illustration showing an embodiment of adevice and a method to fix at least a strand of hair into a fixedlocation of a sample card. A sample card comprises a first plate 20 anda second plate 10, wherein a groove 100 on an inner surface of one ofthe plates. Hair is deposited on the surface of a plate but outside thegroove 100 first, then use hand to rub the deposited hair of the platesurface back and forth cross the groove, so that the rubbing makes someof the hairs logged into the groove 100. One reason to put a hair into agroove is to fix the hair into a specific location of the plate, so thatthe hair can be easily observed when the plate is inserted into areader.

In some instances, the at least one strand of hair 300 is placed in thegroove of the second plate 10 by rubbing a plurality of hairs by hand toposition the at least one strand of hair in the groove.

A groove 100 has a width, a length and a depth. The width and the lengthare in the plane that is the same as the sample plate surface, while thegroove depth is normal to the plate surface.

In some embodiments, the groove depth is 0.1 um, 1 um, 10 um, 30□m,40□m, 50□m, 60□m, 70□m, 80□m, 90□m, 100□m, 110□m, 120□m, 130□m, 200□m,300□m, 400□m, 500□m, 1 mm, 2 mm, or a range between any of these values.

In some embodiments, the groove width is 1 um, 10 um, 30□m, 40□m, 50□m,60□m, 70□m, 80□m, 90□m, 100□m, 110□m, 120□m, 130□m, 200□m, 300□m, 400□m,500□m, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 8 mm, or a range between any of thesevalues.

In some embodiments, the groove length is 100□m, 110□m, 120□m, 130□m,200□m, 300□m, 400□m, 500□m, 1 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 50 mm, 80 mm, or a rangebetween any of these values. In some embodiments, the groove crosses thewidth of the plate as shown in FIG. 2 (so the groove length is the sameas the width of the plate) In some embodiments, the groove crosses thelength of the plate.

In some embodiments, the groove cross-section is round, ellipse, square,rectangle, triangle, polygon, ring-shaped, any superposition of theseshapes, or any shape that accommodating hair strand. In someembodiments, the groove cross-section is rectangle, half-circle, orellipse.

In some embodiments, the dimensions of the groove are selected toaccommodate one strand of hair, so that the location of the hair is onor near the groove 100.

FIG. 3 provides a schematic illustration showing lateral hand motion ofbefore and after rubbing strands of hair into the groove.

FIG. 4 provides a schematic illustration showing an optical design foran embodiment of the present invention, wherein the hair holder can beused together with an adaptor that comprises various optical components.In some embodiments, the mobile device comprises an imager (camera) andan illumination source (LED). In some embodiments, the mobile device canbe a smartphone. In some embodiments, the sample is a QMAX device isdisclosed and described below. In some embodiments, the sample isilluminated by front illumination (light reflected from the sample tothe camera) only. In some embodiments, the sample illuminated by backillumination (light going through the sample to reach the camera) only.In some embodiments, the sample is illuminated by both frontillumination and back illumination. In certain embodiments, the backillumination is provided by a mirror.

FIG. 5 shows exemplary images of the hairs in the hair holder,demonstrating bright-field microscopy images of the hairs sandwichedbetween two plates. For the exemplary embodiment shown in this figure,the first plate is 175 □m thick PMMA and the second plate 1 mm thickPMMA. The pictures were taken with a microscope.

FIG. 6 shows exemplary images of the hairs in the hair holder,demonstrating bright-field images of the hairs taken by a camera in asmart phone. For the exemplary embodiment shown in this figure, thefirst plate is 175 um thick PMMA and the second plate 1 mm thick PMMA.The lens used before iphone 7® plus camera has a focal distance of 4 mm.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary flow chart that demonstrates the process tomonitor the hairs from a subject. In some embodiments, the process ofmonitor the hairs includes:

(a) obtaining a hair holder that is configured to accommodate aplurality of hairs and restrict the movement of the hairs;

(b) obtaining an adaptor that is configured to connect the hair holderto a mobile device;

(c) placing hairs in the hair holder and inserting the hair holder intothe adaptor, wherein the hair holder comprises a liquid material that isin contact with the hairs,

(d) attaching the adaptor to the mobile device;

(e) capturing images of the hair in the hair holder with an imager,which is a part of or an entirety of the mobile device; and

(f) analyzing the images with the mobile device or digitallytransmitting the images or processed results of the images with themobile device to a remote third party for further analysis.

4. Hair Holder

In certain embodiments, the hair holder is a QMAX device (or CROFdevice) as described in PCT/US16/51775 filed on Sep. 14, 2016, which isincorporated by reference by its entirety for all purposes.

In some embodiments, the hair holder comprises a QMAX card (Q-card),which comprises a first plate, a second plate, and spacers, wherein thespacers are configured to regulate a gap between the plates when theplates are pressed against each, compressing the hairs and restrict themovement of the hairs. In certain embodiments, the first plate and thesecond plate of the Q-card are connected by a hinge, which allows thetwo plates to pivot against each other.

5. Liquid to Restrict Hairs

In some embodiments, a liquid can be used to restrict the movement ofthe hairs in a hair holder. In some embodiments, a liquid can be used torestrict the movement of the hairs in a hair holder with a groove in oneof the plates of the hair holder. In some embodiments, the liquid is anon-adhesive material such as but not limited to water, ethanol, andoil. In some embodiments, the liquid is an adhesive material (glue). Theterm “glue” as used herein, means any adhesive substance used forsticking objects or materials together. In some embodiments, theadhesive material the glue is made from include, but not limited to:starch, dextrin, gelatin, asphalt, bitumin, polyisoprenenatural rubber,resin, shellac, cellulose and its derivatives, vinyl derivatives,acrylic derivatives, reactive acrylic bases, polychloroprene,styrene-butadiene, sytyrene-diene-styrene, polyisobutylene,acrylonitrile-butadiene, polyurethane, polysulfide, silicone, aldehydecondensation resins, epoxide resins, amine base resins, polyesterresins, polyolefin polymers, soluble silicates, phosphate cements, orany other adhesive material, or any combination thereof. In someembodiments, the glue is drying adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive,contact adhesive, hot adhesive, or one-part or multi-part reactiveadhesive, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the glue isnatural adhesive or synthetic adhesive, or from any other origin, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the glue is spontaneous-cured,heat-cured, UV-cured, or cured by any other treatment, or anycombination thereof.

6. Bio and Chemical Analysis of Hair

According to the present invention, the hair monitoring also include,but not limited, to the chemical and biological analysis of a hair. Thechemical analysis of the hair include, but not limited, to measuring thehair's PH value, and reactions with chemical reagents. The biologicalanalysis include analysis of proteins, nuclear acids, small molecules,cells, bacterial, virus, and others in or on a hair. The assays used foranalyzing hair include, but not limited to, immunoassay, nucleic assay,colorimetric assay, immunocytochemistry, and spectroanalyzers. Thechem/bio analysis are further disclosed in the rest of the disclosure.

7. Hair Status and Additional Actions

In some embodiments, the devices, systems, and methods disclosed hereincan be used to monitor the hair status of the hair.

In certain embodiments, the hair status, at least in part, refers to thehair density of the subject. The hair density can be related to thesubject's health status and/or specific conditions such as baldness. Incertain embodiments, the hair density can be related to personalhygiene, dieting habits, and environmental conditions.

In certain embodiments, the hair status, at least in part, refers to thehair color of the subject. In certain embodiments, the hair color can berelated to a subject's race, ethnicity, and aesthetic appeal.

In certain embodiments, the hair status, at least in part, refers to thehair smoothness of the subject. In certain embodiments, the hairsmoothness can be related to a subject's health status, personalhygiene, dieting habits, and environmental conditions.

In certain embodiments, the hair status, at least in part, refers to thehair texture of the subject. In certain embodiments, the hair texturecan be related to the subject's race, ethnicity, health status, personalhygiene, dieting habits, and environmental conditions.

In certain embodiments, the hair status, at least in part, refers to thehair thickness of the subject. In certain embodiments, the hairthickness can be related to the subject's health status, personalhygiene, dieting habits, and environmental conditions.

In certain embodiments, the hair status, at least in part, refers to thehair curliness of the subject. In certain embodiments, the haircurliness can be related to the subject's race, ethnicity, healthstatus, personal hygiene, dieting habits, and environmental conditions.

In certain embodiments, the hair status, at least in part, refers to thehair volume of the subject. In certain embodiments, the hair volume canbe related to the subject's health status, personal hygiene, dietinghabits, and environmental conditions.

In some embodiments, after the hair status is determined, a suitablehair care product for the subject can be determined and/or recommended.In some embodiments, the mobile device can be used to displayinformation related to the suitable hair care product.

In some embodiments, the processed results and/or images of hairs aresent to a third party, i.e., a medical professional. In someembodiments, the processed results and/or images of hairs are storedlocally or in a cloud network.

8. Application

The present invention has applications in (a) monitoring the hair statusof a subject and providing a recommendation and/or suggestion; (b)detection, purification, and quantification of chemical compounds orbiomolecules that are present in a hair sample; and (c) analyzing hairresidues in the environment and/or specific niches.

Other Specification of Present Invention

The present invention includes a variety of embodiments, which can becombined in multiple ways as long as the various components do notcontradict one another. The embodiments should be regarded as a singleinvention file: each filing has other filing as the references and isalso referenced in its entirety and for all purpose, rather than as adiscrete independent. These embodiments include not only the disclosuresin the current file, but also the documents that are herein referenced,incorporated, for their entities and for all purpose.

The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein can be combined with thebio/chemical devices, systems and methods including, but not limited to,the devices, systems, and methods as disclosed, described, and/orreferred to in the following patent applications:

PCT Application No. PCT/US16/45437, which was filed on Aug. 10, 2016,

PCT Application No. PCT/US16/51775, which was filed on Sep. 14, 2016,

PCT Application No. PCT/US16/51794, which was filed on Sep. 14, 2016,

PCT Application No. PCT/US17/65440, which was filed on Dec. 8, 2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/369,181, which was filed on Jul. 31,2016,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/394,753, which was filed on Sep. 15,2016,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/412,006, which was filed on Oct. 24,2016,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/431,639, which was filed on Dec. 9,2016,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/437,339, which was filed on Dec. 21,2016,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,065, which was filed on Feb. 7,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,488, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,287, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,528, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,537, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,612, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,631, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,596, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,590, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,638, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,598, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,552, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,603, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,585, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,628, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,504, which was filed on Feb. 8,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,988, which was filed on Feb. 9,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/457,084, which was filed on Feb. 9,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/457,031, which was filed on Feb. 9,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,904, which was filed on Feb. 9,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/457,075, which was filed on Feb. 9,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/457,009, which was filed on Feb. 9,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/457,133, which was filed on Feb. 9,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/457,103, which was filed on Feb. 9,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,267, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,303, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,337, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,232, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,160, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,972, which was filed on Feb. 16,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,496, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,554, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,598, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/460,047, which was filed on Feb. 16,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/460,083, which was filed on Feb. 16,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/460,076, which was filed on Feb. 16,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/460,062, which was filed on Feb. 16,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,920, which was filed on Feb. 16,2016,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,577, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,602, which was filed on Feb. 15,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/460,069, which was filed on Feb. 16,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/460,088, which was filed on Feb. 16,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/460,091, which was filed on Feb. 16,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/460,757, which was filed on Feb. 18,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/463,578, which was filed on Feb. 24,2017,

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/488,684, which was filed on Apr. 21,2017; and

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/597,851, which was filed on Dec. 12,2017

which are all hereby incorporated in reference by their entireties forall purpose.

9. QMAX Device

The devices, systems, and methods herein disclosed can include or use aQMAX device, which can comprise plates and optionally spacers. In someembodiments, the dimension of the individual components of the QMAXdevice and its adaptor are listed, described and/or summarized in PCTApplication No. PCT/US16/45437 filed on Aug. 10, 2016, and U.S.Provisional Application Nos. 62,431,639 filed on Dec. 9, 2016 and62/456,287 filed on Feb. 8, 2017, which are all hereby incorporated byreference by their entireties.

A. Q-Card

The devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein can include or useQ-cards for sample detection, analysis, and quantification. Details ofthe QMAX card are described in detail in a variety of publicationsincluding International Application No. PCT/US2016/046437, which ishereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

Generally, the plates of CROF are made of any material that (i) iscapable of being used to regulate, together with the spacers, thethickness of a portion or entire volume of the sample, and (ii) has nosignificant adverse effects to a sample, an assay, or a goal that theplates intend to accomplish. However, in certain embodiments, particularmaterials (hence their properties) are used for the plate to achievecertain objectives.

In certain embodiments, the two plates can have the same or differentparameters for each of the following parameters: plate material, platethickness, plate shape, plate area, plate flexibility, plate surfaceproperty, and plate optical transparency.

The plates can be made a single material, composite materials, multiplematerials, multilayer of materials, alloys, or a combination thereof.Each of the materials for the plate is an inorganic material, am organicmaterial, or a mix, wherein examples of the materials are given inparagraphs of Mat-1 and Mat-2.

Mat-1: The inorganic materials for the plates include, not limited to,glass, quartz, oxides, silicon-dioxide, silicon-nitride, hafnium oxide(HfO), aluminum oxide (AlO), semiconductors: (silicon, GaAs, GaN, etc.),metals (e.g. gold, silver, copper, aluminum, Ti, Ni, etc.), ceramics, orany combinations of thereof.

Mat-2: The organic materials for the spacers include, not limited to,polymers (e.g. plastics) or amorphous organic materials. The polymermaterials for the spacers include, not limited to, acrylate polymers,vinyl polymers, olefin polymers, cellulosic polymers, noncellulosicpolymers, polyester polymers, Nylon, cyclic olefin copolymer (COC),poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), cyclic olefinpolymer (COP), liquid crystalline polymer (LCP), polyimide (PA),polyethylene (PE), polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), poly(phenyleneether) (PPE), polystyrene (PS), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyether etherketone (PEEK), polyether sulfone (PES), poly(ethylene phthalate) (PET),polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), fluorinated ethylenepropylene (FEP), perfluoroalkoxyalkane (PFA), polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS), rubbers, or any combinations of thereof.

In certain embodiments, the plates are each independently made of atleast one of glass, plastic, ceramic, and metal. In certain embodiments,each plate independently includes at least one of glass, plastic,ceramic, and metal. In certain embodiments, one plate is different fromthe other plate in lateral area, thickness, shape, materials, or surfacetreatment. In certain embodiments, one plate is the same as the otherplate in lateral area, thickness, shape, materials, or surfacetreatment.

The materials for the plates can be rigid, flexible or any flexibilitybetween the two. The rigid (i.e. stiff) or flexibility is relative to agive pressing forces used in bringing the plates into the closedconfiguration.

In certain embodiments, at least one of the two plates are transparent(to a light). In certain embodiments at least, a part or several partsof one plate or both plates are transparent. In certain embodiments, theplates are non-transparent.

In certain embodiments, the average thicknesses for at least one of thepates are 2 nm or less, 10 nm or less, 100 nm or less, 500 nm or less,1000 nm or less, 2 um (micron) or less, 5 um or less, 10 um or less, 20um or less, 50 um or less, 100 um or less, 150 um or less, 200 um orless, 300 um or less, 500 um or less, 800 um or less, 1 mm (millimeter)or less, 2 mm or less, 3 mm or less, or a range between any two of thevalues.

In certain embodiments, the average thicknesses for at least one of theplates are at most 3 mm (millimeter), at most 5 mm, at most 10 mm, atmost 20 mm, at most 50 mm, at most 100 mm, at most 500 mm, or a rangebetween any two of the values.

In certain embodiments, the thickness of a plate is not uniform acrossthe plate. Using a different plate thickness at different location canbe used to control the plate bending, folding, sample thicknessregulation, and others.

Generally, the plates can have any shapes, as long as the shape allows acompress open flow of the sample and the regulation of the samplethickness. However, in certain embodiments, a particular shape may beadvantageous. The shape of the plate can be round, elliptical,rectangles, triangles, polygons, ring-shaped, or any superpositions ofthese shapes.

In certain embodiments, the two plates can have the same size or shape,or different. The area of the plates depends on the application. Incertain embodiments, at least one of the plates is in the form of a belt(or strip) that has a width, thickness, and length.

In certain embodiments, the two surfaces of the plate are significantlyparallel with each other. In certain embodiments, the two surfaces ofthe plate are not parallel with each other.

In certain embodiments, a plate is flexible under the compressing of aCROF process. In certain embodiments, both plates are flexible under thecompressing of a CROF process. In certain embodiments, a plate is rigidand another plate is flexible under the compressing of a CROF process.In certain embodiments, both plates are rigid. In certain embodiments,both plates are flexible but have different flexibility.

In certain embodiments, a plate is optical transparent. In certainembodiments, both plates are optical transparent. In certainembodiments, a plate is optical transparent and another plate is opaque.In certain embodiments, both plates are opaque. In certain embodiments,both plates are optical transparent but have different opticaltransparency. The optical transparency of a plate can refers to a partor the entire area of the plate.

B. Spacers

In an embodiment, the present QMAX device can have spacers. Generally,the spacers are configured to have one or any combinations of thefollowing functions and properties: the spacers are configured to (1)control, together with the plates, the thickness of the sample or arelevant volume of the sample (preferably, the thickness control isprecise, or uniform or both, over a relevant area); (2) allow the sampleto have a compressed regulated open flow (CROF) on plate surface; (3)not take significant surface area (volume) in a given sample area(volume); (4) reduce or increase the effect of sedimentation ofparticles or analytes in the sample; (5) change and/or control thewetting propertied of the inner surface of the plates; (6) identify alocation of the plate, a scale of size, and/or the information relatedto a plate, or (7) do any combination of the above.

To achieve desired sample thickness reduction and control, in certainembodiments, the spacers are fixed its respective plate. In general, thespacer can have any shape, as long as the spacers are capable ofregulating the sample thickness during a CROF process, but certainshapes are preferred to achieve certain functions, such as betteruniformity, less overshoot in pressing, etc.

The spacer(s) can be a single spacer or a plurality of spacers. (e.g. anarray). Certain embodiments of a plurality of spacers is an array ofspacers (e.g. pillars), where the inter-spacer distance is periodic oraperiodic, or is periodic or aperiodic in certain areas of the plates,or has different distances in different areas of the plates.

In certain embodiments, the lateral shapes of the pillar spacers includea shape selected from the group consisting of round, elliptical,rectangles, triangles, polygons, ring-shaped, star-shaped andletter-shaped (e.g. L-shaped, C-shaped, the letters from A to Z). Incertain embodiments, the shapes of the spacers have rounded corners. Forexample, a rectangle shaped spacer has one, several or all cornersrounded (like a circle rather 90-degree angle). A round corner oftenmake a fabrication of the spacer easier, and in some cases less damageto a biological material.

The sidewall of the pillars can be straight, curved, sloped, ordifferent shaped in different section of the sidewall. In certainembodiments, the spacers are pillars of various lateral shapes,sidewalls, and pillar-height to pillar lateral area ratio. In apreferred embodiment, the spacers have shapes of pillars for allowingopen flow.

Generally, the spacers can be made of any material that is capable ofbeing used to regulate, together with the two plates, the thickness of arelevant volume of the sample. In certain embodiments, the materials forthe spacers are different from that for the plates. In certainembodiments, the materials for the spaces are at least the same as apart of the materials for at least one plate. The spacers can be made asingle material, composite materials, multiple materials, multilayer ofmaterials, alloys, or a combination thereof. Each of the materials forthe spacers is an inorganic material, am organic material, or a mix,wherein examples of the materials are given in paragraphs of Mat-1 andMat-2. In a preferred embodiment, the spacers are made in the samematerial as a plate used in CROF.

In certain embodiments, all spacers have the same pre-determined height.In certain embodiments, spacers have different pre-determined height.The height of the spacers is selected by a desired regulated finalsample thickness and the residue sample thickness. The spacer height(the predetermined spacer height) and/or sample thickness is 3 nm orless, 10 nm or less, 50 nm or less, 100 nm or less, 200 nm or less, 500nm or less, 800 nm or less, 1000 nm or less, 1 um or less, 2 um or less,3 um or less, 5 um or less, 10 um or less, 20 um or less, 30 um or less,50 um or less, 100 um or less, 150 um or less, 200 um or less, 300 um orless, 500 um or less, 800 um or less, 1 mm or less, 2 mm or less, 4 mmor less, or a range between any two of the values.

The spacers can be a single spacer or a plurality of spacers on theplate or in a relevant area of the sample. In certain embodiments, thespacers on the plates are configured and/or arranged in an array form,and the array is a periodic, non-periodic array or periodic in somelocations of the plate while non-periodic in other locations. In certainembodiments, the periodic array of the spacers has a lattice of square,rectangle, triangle, hexagon, polygon, or any combinations of thereof,where a combination means that different locations of a plate hasdifferent spacer lattices. In certain embodiments, the inter-spacerdistance of a spacer array is periodic (i.e. uniform inter-spacerdistance) in at least one direction of the array. In certainembodiments, the inter-spacer distance is configured to improve theuniformity between the plate spacing at a closed configuration.

The distance between neighboring spacers (i.e. the inter-spacerdistance) is 1 um or less, 5 um or less, 10 um or less, 20 um or less,30 um or less, 40 um or less, 50 um or less, 60 um or less, 70 um orless, 80 um or less, 90 um or less, 100 um or less, 200 um or less, 300um or less, 400 um or less, or a range between any two of the values.

The spacers can be fabricated on a plate in a variety of ways, usinglithography, etching, embossing (nanoimprint), depositions, lift-off,fusing, or a combination of thereof. In certain embodiments, the spacersare directly embossed or imprinted on the plates. In certainembodiments, the spacers imprinted into a material (e.g. plastics) thatis deposited on the plates. In certain embodiments, the spacers are madeby directly embossing a surface of a CROF plate. The nanoimprinting maybe done by roll to roll technology using a roller imprinter, or roll toa planar nanoimprint. Such process has a great economic advantage andhence lowering the cost.

In certain embodiments, the spacers are deposited on the plates. Thedeposition can be evaporation, pasting, or a lift-off. In the pasting,the spacer is fabricated first on a carrier, then the spacer istransferred from the carrier to the plate. In the lift-off, a removablematerial is first deposited on the plate and holes are created in thematerial; the hole bottom exposes the plate surface and then a spacermaterial is deposited into the hole and afterwards the removablematerial is removed, leaving only the spacers on the plate surface. Incertain embodiments, the spacers deposited on the plate are fused withthe plate. In certain embodiments, the spacer and the plates arefabricated in a single process. The single process includes imprinting(i.e. embossing, molding) or synthesis.

In certain embodiments, at least two of the spacers are fixed to therespective plate by different fabrication methods, and optionallywherein the different fabrication methods include at least one of beingdeposition, bonded, fuse, imprinted, and etched.

In certain embodiments, one or more of the spacers are fixed to therespective plate(s) is by a fabrication method of being bonded, beingfused, being imprinted, or being etched, or any combination of thereof.

In certain embodiments, the fabrication methods for forming suchmonolithic spacers on the plate include a method of being bonded, beingfused, being imprinted, or being etched, or any combination of thereof.

C. Method of Manufacture of QMAX Cards

Details of the method of QMAX card manufacture are described in detailin a variety of publications including International Application No.PCT/US2018/057873 filed Oct. 26, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein for all purposes.

Devices of the disclosure may be fabricated using techniques well knownin the art. The choice of fabrication technique will depend on thematerial used for the device and the size of the spacer array and/or thesize of the spacers. Exemplary materials for fabricating the devices ofthe invention include glass, silicon, steel, nickel, polymers, e.g.,poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), polycarbonate, polystyrene,polyethylene, polyolefins, silicones (e.g., poly(dimethylsiloxane)),polypropylene, cis-polyisoprene (rubber), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC),poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), polychloroprene (neoprene),polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), poly(vinylidene chloride) (SaranA),and cyclic olefin polymer (COP) and cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), andcombinations thereof. Other materials are known in the art. For example,deep Reactive Ion Etch (DRIE) is used to fabricate silicon-based deviceswith small gaps, small spacers and large aspect ratios (ratio of spacerheight to lateral dimension). Thermoforming (embossing, injectionmolding) of plastic devices may also be used, e.g., when the smallestlateral feature is >20 microns and the aspect ratio of these features is≤10.

Additional methods include photolithography (e.g., stereolithography orx-ray photolithography), molding, embossing, silicon micromachining, wetor dry chemical etching, milling, diamond cutting, LithographieGalvanoformung and Abformung (LIGA), and electroplating. For example,for glass, traditional silicon fabrication techniques ofphotolithography followed by wet (KOH) or dry etching (reactive ionetching with fluorine or other reactive gas) may be employed. Techniquessuch as laser nicromachining may be adopted for plastic materials withhigh photon absorption efficiency. This technique is suitable for lowerthroughput fabrication because of the serial nature of the process. Formass-produced plastic devices, thermoplastic injection molding, andcompression molding may be suitable. Conventional thermoplasticinjection molding used for mass-fabrication of compact discs (whichpreserves fidelity of features in sub-microns) may also be employed tofabricate the devices of the invention. For example, the device featuresare replicated on a glass master by conventional photolithography. Theglass master is electroformed to yield a tough, thermal shock resistant,thermally conductive, hard mold. This mold serves as the master templatefor injection molding or compression molding the features into a plasticdevice. Depending on the plastic material used to fabricate the devicesand the requirements on optical quality and throughput of the finishedproduct, compression molding or injection molding may be chosen as themethod of manufacture. Compression molding (also called hot embossing orrelief imprinting) has the advantages of being compatible with highmolecular weight polymers, which are excellent for small structures andmay replicate high aspect ratio structures but has longer cycle times.Injection molding works well for low aspect ratio structures and is mostsuitable for low molecular weight polymers.

A device may be fabricated in one or more pieces that are thenassembled. Layers of a device may be bonded together by clamps,adhesives, heat, anodic bonding, or reactions between surface groups(e.g., wafer bonding). Alternatively, a device with channels or gaps inmore than one plane may be fabricated as a single piece, e.g., usingstereolithography or other three-dimensional fabrication techniques.

In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a method forfabricating any Q-Card of the present disclosure can comprise injectionmolding of the first plate. In certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a method for fabricating any Q-Card of the presentdisclosure can comprise nanoimprinting or extrusion printing of thesecond plate. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a methodfor fabricating any Q-Card of the present disclosure can comprise Lasercutting the first plate. In certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a method for fabricating any Q-Card of the presentdisclosure can comprise nanoimprinting or extrusion printing of thesecond plate. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a methodfor fabricating any Q-Card of the present disclosure can compriseinjection molding and laser cutting the first plate. In certainembodiments of the present disclosure, a method for fabricating anyQ-Card of the present disclosure can comprise nanoimprinting orextrusion printing of the second plate. In certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure, a method for fabricating any Q-Card of the presentdisclosure can comprise nanoimprinting or extrusion printing tofabricated both the first and the second plate. In certain embodimentsof the present disclosure, a method for fabricating any Q-Card of thepresent disclosure can comprise fabricating the first plate or thesecond plate, using injection molding, laser cutting the first plate,nanoimprinting, extrusion printing, or a combination of thereof. Incertain embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for fabricatingany Q-Card of the present disclosure can comprise a step of attachingthe hinge on the first and the second plates after the fabrication ofthe first and second plates.

D. Hinges, Opening Notches, Recessed Edges, Sliders, and Grooves.

The devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein, can include or useQ-cards for sample detection, analysis, and quantification. In someembodiments, the Q-card comprises hinges, notches, recesses, andsliders, which help to facilitate the manipulation of the Q card and themeasurement of the samples. The structure, material, function, variationand dimension of the hinges, notches, recesses, and sliders are hereindisclosed, listed, described, and/or summarized in PCT Application(designating U.S.) Nos. PCT/US2016/045437 and PCT/US0216/051775, whichwere respectively filed on Aug. 10, 2016 and Sep. 14, 2016, U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/431,639, which was filed on Dec. 9, 2016,U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,065, which was filed on Feb. 7,2017, U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 62/456,287 and 62/456,504, whichwas filed on Feb. 8, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Application No.62/539,660, which was filed on Aug. 1, 2017, all of which applicationsare incorporated herein in their entireties for all purposes.

In some embodiments, the QMAX device comprises opening mechanisms suchas but not limited to notches on plate edges or strips attached to theplates, making is easier for a user to manipulate the positioning of theplates, such as but not limited to separating the plates of by hand.

In some embodiments, the QMAX device comprises trenches on one or bothof the plates. In certain embodiments, the trenches limit the flow ofthe sample on the plate.

In some embodiments, the second plate of the QMAX device comprises agroove, wherein the second plate with the groove can accommodate atleast one strand of hair and restrict the movement of the at least onestrand of hair. In additional embodiments, the at least one strand ofhair is placed in the groove of the second plate by rubbing a pluralityof hairs by hand to position the at least one strand of hair in thegroove. In some instances, the preferred dimensions of the groove are50□m×50□m, which can accommodate one strand of hair.

10. Adaptor

Details of the Adaptor are described in detail in a variety ofpublications including International Application No. PCT/US2018/017504,which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

The present invention that is described herein address this problem byproviding a system comprising an optical adaptor and a smartphone. Theoptical adaptor device fits over a smartphone converting it into amicroscope which can take bright-field images of the hair sample. Thissystem can be operated conveniently and reliably by a common person atany location. The optical adaptor takes advantage of the existingresources of the smartphone, including camera, light source, processorand display screen, which provides a low-cost solution let the user todo bright-field microscopy.

The optical adaptor device can comprise a holder frame fitting over theupper part of the smartphone and an optical box attached to the holderhaving sample receptacle slot and illumination optics. In somereferences (U.S. Pat. No. 2016/029091 and U.S. Pat. No. 2011/0292198),their optical adaptor design is a whole piece including both the clip-onmechanics parts to fit over the smartphone and the functional opticselements. This design has the problem that they need to redesign thewhole-piece optical adaptor for each specific model of smartphone. Butin this present invention, the optical adaptor is separated into aholder frame only for fitting a smartphone and a universal optical boxcontaining all the functional parts. For the smartphones with differentdimensions, as long as the relative positions of the camera and thelight source are the same, only the holder frame need to be redesigned,which will save a lot of cost of design and manufacture.

The optical box of the optical adaptor comprises: a receptacle slotwhich receives and position the sample in a sample slide in the field ofview and focal range of the smartphone camera; a bright-fieldillumination optics for capturing bright-field microscopy images of asample.

The receptacle slot has a rubber door attached to it, which can fullycover the slot to prevent the ambient light getting into the optical boxto be collected by the camera. In U.S. Pat. 2016/0290916, the sampleslot is always exposed to the ambient light which won't cause too muchproblem because it only does bright-field microscopy.

For all common smartphones, however, the optical filter putting in frontof the camera cannot block the undesired wavelength range of the lightemitted from the light source of a smartphone very well due to the largedivergence angle of the beams emitted by the light source and theoptical filter not working well for un-collimated beams. Collimationoptics can be designed to collimated the beam emitted by the smartphonelight source to address this issue, but this approach increase the sizeand cost of the adaptor. Instead, in this present invention, fluorescentillumination optics enables the excitation light to illuminate thesample partially from the waveguide inside the sample slide andpartially from the backside of the sample side in large obliqueincidence angle so that excitation light will nearly not be collected bythe camera to reduce the noise signal getting into the camera.

In one embodiment, the bright-field illumination optics in the adaptorreceive and turn the beam emitted by the light source so as toback-illuminated the sample in normal incidence angle.

Typically, the optical box also comprises a lens mounted in it alignedwith the camera of the smartphone, which magnifies the images capturedby the camera. The images captured by the camera can be furtherprocessed by the processor of smartphone and outputs the analysis resulton the screen of smartphone.

A sample slider is mounted inside the receptacle slot to receive theQMAX device and position the sample in the QMAX device in the field ofview and focal range of the smartphone camera. The sample slidercomprises a fixed track frame and a moveable arm. The frame track isfixedly mounted in the receptacle slot of the optical box. And the trackframe has a sliding track slot that fits the width and thickness of theQMAX device so that the QMAX device can slide along the track. The widthand height of the track slot is carefully configured to make the QMAXdevice shift less than 0.5 mm in the direction perpendicular to thesliding direction in the sliding plane and shift less than less than 0.2mm along the thickness direction of the QMAX device. The frame track hasan opened window under the field of view of the camera of smartphone toallow the light back-illuminate the sample. A moveable arm can bepre-built in the sliding track slot of the track frame and movestogether with the QMAX device to guide the movement of QMAX device inthe track frame.

The moveable arm equipped with a stopping mechanism with two pre-definedstop positions. For one position, the arm will make the QMAX device stopat the position where a fixed sample area on the QMAX device is rightunder the camera of smartphone. For the other position, the arm willmake the QMAX device stop at the position where the sample area on QMAXdevice is out of the field of view of the smartphone and the QMAX devicecan be easily taken out of the track slot.

The moveable arm switches between the two stop positions by a pressingthe QMAX device and the moveable arm together to the end of the trackslot and then releasing. The moveable arm can indicate if the QMAXdevice is inserted in correct direction. The shape of one corner of theQMAX device is configured to be different from the other three rightangle corners. And the shape of the moveable arm matches the shape ofthe corner with the special shape so that only in correct direction canQMAX device slide to correct position in the track slot.

The devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein can include or useQ-cards for sample detection, analysis, and quantification. In someembodiments, the Q-card is used together with an adaptor that isconfigured to accommodate the Q-card and connect to a mobile device sothat the sample in the Q-card can be imaged, analyzed, and/or measuredby the mobile device. The structure, material, function, variation,dimension, and connection of the Q-card, the adaptor, and the mobile aredisclosed herein, listed, described, and/or summarized in PCTApplication Nos. PCT/US16/45437 and PCT/US16/51775, which were filed onAug. 10, 2016 and Sep. 14, 2016, respectively, and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/456,065, which was filed on Feb. 7, 2017, U.S.Provisional Application Nos. 62/456,287 and 62/456,590, which were filedon Feb. 8, 2017, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,504, which wasfiled on Feb. 8, 2017, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,544,which was filed on Feb. 15, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Application Nos.62/460,075 and 62/459,920, which were filed on Feb. 16, 2017, all ofwhich are incorporated herein in their entireties for all purposes.

In some embodiments, the adaptor comprises a receptacle slot, which isconfigured to accommodate the QMAX device when the device is in a closedconfiguration. In certain embodiments, the QMAX device has a sampledeposited therein and the adaptor can be connected to a mobile device(e.g., a smartphone) so that the sample can be read by the mobiledevice. In certain embodiments, the mobile device can detect and/oranalyze a signal from the sample. In certain embodiments, the mobiledevice can capture images of the sample when the sample is in the QMAXdevice and positioned in the field of view (FOV) of a camera, which incertain embodiments, is part of the mobile device.

In some embodiments, the adaptor comprises optical components, which areconfigured to enhance, magnify, and/or optimize the production of thesignal from the sample. In some embodiments, the optical componentsinclude parts that are configured to enhance, magnify, and/or optimizeillumination provided to the sample. In certain embodiments, theillumination is provided by a light source that is part of the mobiledevice. In some embodiments, the optical components include parts thatare configured to enhance, magnify, and/or optimize a signal from thesample.

11 Smartphone Detection System

The devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein can include or useQ-cards for sample detection, analysis, and quantification. In someembodiments, the Q-card is used together with an adaptor that canconnect the Q-card with a smartphone detection system. In someembodiments, the smartphone comprises a camera and/or an illuminationsource The smartphone detection system, as well the associated hardwareand software are herein disclosed, listed, described, and/or summarizedin PCT Application Nos. PCT/US16/045437 and PCT/US16/051775, which wererespectively filed on Aug. 10, 2016 and Sep. 14, 2016, U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/456,065, which was filed on Feb. 7, 2017, U.S.Provisional Application Nos. 62/456,287 and 62/456,590, which were filedon Feb. 8, 2017, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,504, which wasfiled on Feb. 8, 2017, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/459,544,which was filed on Feb. 15, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Application Nos.62/460,075 and 62/459,920, which were filed on Feb. 16, 2017, all ofwhich are incorporated herein in their entireties for all purposes.

In some embodiments, the smartphone comprises a camera, which can beused to capture images or the sample when the sample is positioned inthe field of view of the camera (e.g., by an adaptor). In certainembodiments, the camera includes one set of lenses (e.g., as in iPhone™6). In certain embodiments, the camera includes at least two sets oflenses (e.g., as in iPhone™ 7). In some embodiments, the smartphonecomprises a camera, but the camera is not used for image capturing.

In some embodiments, the smartphone comprises a light source such as butnot limited to LED (light emitting diode). In certain embodiments, thelight source is used to provide illumination to the sample when thesample is positioned in the field of view of the camera (e.g. by anadaptor). In some embodiments, the light from the light source isenhanced, magnified, altered, and/or optimized by optical components ofthe adaptor.

In some embodiments, the smartphone comprises a processor that isconfigured to process the information from the sample. The smartphoneincludes software instructions that, when executed by the processor, canenhance, magnify, and/or optimize the signals (e.g. images) from thesample. The processor can include one or more hardware components, suchas a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), an application-specific instruction-set processor(ASIP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a physics processing unit(PPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array(FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a controller, amicrocontroller unit, a reduced instruction-set computer (RISC), amicroprocessor, or the like, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the smartphone comprises a communication unit,which is configured and/or used to transmit data and/or images relatedto the sample to another device. Merely by way of example, thecommunication unit can use a cable network, a wireline network, anoptical fiber network, a telecommunications network, an intranet, theInternet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), awireless local area network (WLAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), awide area network (WAN), a public telephone switched network (PSTN), aBluetooth network, a Zig Bee network, a near field communication (NFC)network, or the like, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the smartphone is an iPhone™, an Android™ phone, ora Windows™ phone.

12. Dimensions

The devices, systems, and methods herein disclosed can include or use aQMAX device, which can comprise plates and spacers. In some embodiments,the dimension of the individual components of the QMAX device and itsadaptor are listed, described and/or summarized in PCT Application No.PCT/US16/45437 filed on Aug. 10, 2016, and U.S. Provisional ApplicationNos. 62,431,639 filed on Dec. 9, 2016 and 62/456,287 filed on Feb. 8,2017, which are all hereby incorporated by reference by theirentireties.

In some embodiments, the dimensions are listed in the Tables below:

A. Plates

Parameters Embodiments Preferred Embodiments Shape round, ellipse,rectangle, triangle, polygonal, ring- at least one of the two (orshaped, or any superposition of these shapes; the two more) plates ofthe QMAX (or more) plates of the QMAX card can have the same card hasround corners for size and/or shape, or different size and/or shape;user safety concerns, wherein the round corners have a diameter of 100μm or less, 200 μm or less, 500 μm or less, 1 mm or less, 2 mm or less,5 mm or less, 10 mm or less, 50 mm or less, or in a range between anytwo of the values. Thickness the average thickness for at least one ofthe plates is 2 For at least one of the plates is nm or less, 10 nm orless, 100 nm or less, 200 nm or in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 mm; less, 500nm or less, 1000 nm or less, 2 μm (micron) or around 1 mm; in the rangeof less, 5 μm or less, 10 μm or less, 20 μm or less, 50 μm 0.15 to 0.2mm; or around or less, 100 μm or less, 150 μm or less, 200 μm or less,0.175 mm 300 μm or less, 500 μm or less, 800 μm or less, 1 mm(millimeter) or less, 2 mm or less, 3 mm or less, 5 mm or less, 10 mm orless, 20 mm or less, 50 mm or less, 100 mm or less, 500 mm or less, orin a range between any two of these values Lateral For at least one ofthe plate is 1 mm2 (square For at least one plate of the Areamillimeter) or less, 10 mm2 or less, 25 mm2 or less, 50 QMAX card is inthe range of mm2 or less, 75 mm2 or less, 1 cm2 (square 500 to 1000 mm²;or around centimeter) or less, 2 cm2 or less, 3 cm2 or less, 4 cm2 750mm². or less, 5 cm2 or less, 10 cm2 or less, 100 cm2 or less, 500 cm2 orless, 1000 cm2 or less, 5000 cm2 or less, 10,000 cm2 or less, 10,000 cm2or less, or in a range between any two of these values Lateral For atleast one of the plates of the QMAX card is 1 mm For at least one plateof the Linear or less, 5 mm or less, 10 mm or less, 15 mm or less, 20QMAX card is in the range of Dimension mm or less, 25 mm or less, 30 mmor less, 35 mm or less, 20 to 30 mm; or around 24 (width, 40 mm or less,45 mm or less, 50 mm or less, 100 mm or mm length, or less, 200 mm orless, 500 mm or less, 1000 mm or less, diameter, 5000 mm or less, or ina range between any two of these etc.) values Recess 1 um or less, 10 umor less, 20 um or less, 30 um or In the range of 1 mm to 10 width less,40 um or less, 50 um or less, 100 um or less, 200 mm; Or um or less, 300um or less, 400 um or less, 500 um or About 5 mm less, 7500 um or less,1 mm or less, 5 mm or less, 10 mm or less, 100 mm or less, or 1000 mm orless, or in a range between any two of these values.

B. Hinge

Parameters Embodiments Preferred Embodiments Number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ormore 1 or 2 Length of 1 mm or less, 2 mm or less, 3 mm or less, 4 mm orIn the range of 5 mm to 30 Hinge Joint less, 5 mm or less, 10 mm orless, 15 mm or less, 20 mm. mm or less, 25 mm or less, 30 mm or less, 40mm or less, 50 mm or less, 100 mm or less, 200 mm or less, or 500 mm orless, or in a range between any two of these values Ratio (hinge 1.5 orless, 1 or less, 0.9 or less, 0.8 or less, 0.7 or less, In the range of0.2 to 1; or joint length 0.6 or less, 0.5 or less, 0.4 or less, 0.3 orless, 0.2 or about 1 vs. aligning less, 0.1 or less, 0.05 or less or ina range between any plate edge two of these values. length Area 1 mm² orless, 5 mm² or less, 10 mm² or less, 20 mm² In the range of 20 to 200mm²; or less, 30 mm² or less, 40 mm² or less, 50 mm² or less, or about120 mm² 100 mm² or less, 200 mm² or less, 500 mm² or less, or in a rangebetween any of the two values Ratio (hinge 1 or less, 0.9 or less, 0.8or less, 0.7 or less, 0.6 or less, In the range of 0.05 to 0.2, area vs.plate 0.5 or less, 0.4 or less, 0.3 or less, 0.2 or less, 0.1 or less,around 0.15 area) 0.05 or less, 0.01 or less or in a range between anytwo of these values Max. Open 15 or less, 30 or less, 45 or less, 60 orless, 75 or less, In the range of 90 to 180 Degree 90 or less, 105 orless, 120 or less, 135 or less, 150 or degrees less, 165 or less, 180 orless, 195 or less, 210 or less, 225 or less, 240 or less, 255 or less,270 or less, 285 or less, 300 or less, 315 or less, 330 or less, 345 orless or 360 or less degrees, or in a range between any two of thesevalues No. of Layers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more 1 or 2 Layer 0.1 um or less,1 um or less, 2 um or less, 3 um or less, In the range of 20 um to 1thickness 5 um or less, 10 um or less, 20 um or less, 30 um or mm; orless, 50 um or less, 100 um or less, 200 um or less, 300 Around 50 um umor less, 500 um or less, 1 mm or less, 2 mm or less, and a range betweenany two of these values Angle- Limiting the angle adjustment with nomore than ±90, No more than ±2 maintaining ±45, ±30, ±25, ±20, ±15, ±10,±8, ±6, ±5, ±4, ±3, ±2, or ±1, or in a range between any two of thesevalues

C. Notch

Parameters Embodiments Preferred Embodiments Number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ormore 1 or 2 Shape round, ellipse, rectangle, triangle, polygon, ring-Part of a circle shaped, or any superposition or portion of theseshapes. Positioning Any location along any edge except the hinge edge,or any corner joint by non-hinge edges Lateral 1 mm or less, 2.5 mm orless, 5 mm or less, 10 mm or In the range of 5 mm to 15 Linear less, 15mm or less, 20 mm or less, 25 mm or less, 30 mm; or about 10 mmDimension mm or less, 40 mm or less, 50 mm or less, or in a (Lengthrange between any two of these values along the edge, radius, etc.) Area1 mm² (square millimeter) or less, 10 mm² or less, 25 In the range of 10to 150 mm²; mm² or less, 50 mm² or less, 75 mm² or less or in a or about50 mm² range between any two of these values.

D. Trench

Parameters Embodiments Preferred Embodiments Number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ormore 1 or 2 Shape Closed (round, ellipse, rectangle, triangle, polygon,ring-shaped, or any superposition or portion of these shapes) oropen-ended (straight line, curved line, arc, branched tree, or any othershape with open endings); Length 0.001 mm or less, 0.005 mm or less,0.01 mm or less, 0.05 mm or less, 0.1 mm or less, 0.5 mm or less, 1 mmor less, 2 mm or less, 5 mm or less, 10 mm or less, 20 mm or less, 50 mmor less, 100 mm or less, or in a range between any two of these valuesCross- 0.001 mm² or less, 0.005 mm² or less, 0.01 mm² or less, sectional0.05 mm² or less, 0.1 mm² or less, 0.5 mm² or less, 1 Area mm² or less,2 mm² or less, 5 mm² or less, 10 mm² or less, 20 mm² or less, or in arange between any two of these values. Volume 0.1 uL or more, 0.5 uL ormore, 1 uL or more, 2 uL or In the range of 1 uL to 20 uL; more, 5 uL ormore, 10 uL or more, 30 uL or more, 50 uL or or more, 100 uL or more,500 uL or more, 1 mL or more, About 5 uL or in a range between any twoof these values

E. Receptacle Slot

Parameters Embodiments Preferred Embodiments Shape of round, ellipse,rectangle, triangle, polygon, ring- receiving shaped, or anysuperposition of these shapes; area Difference 100 nm, 500 nm, 1 um, 2um, 5 um, 10 um, 50 um, 100 In the range of 50 to 300 um; between um,300 um, 500 um, 1 mm, 2 mm, 5 mm, 1 cm, or in a or about 75 um slidingtrack range between any two of the values. gap size and card thicknessDifference 1 mm² (square millimeter) or less, 10 mm² or less, 25 betweenmm² or less, 50 mm² or less, 75 mm² or less, 1 cm² receiving (squarecentimeter) or less, 2 cm² or less, 3 cm² or less, area and 4 cm² orless, 5 cm² or less, 10 cm² or less, 100 cm² or card area less, or in arange between any of the two values.

9. Cloud

The devices, systems, and methods disclosed can employ cloud technologyfor data transfer, storage, and/or analysis. The related cloudtechnologies are herein disclosed, listed, described, and/or summarizedin PCT Application (designating U.S.) Nos. PCT/US16/45437 andPCT/US16/51775, which were respectively filed on Aug. 10, 2016 and Sep.14, 2016, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,065, which was filedon Feb. 7, 2017, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,287, which wasfiled on Feb. 8, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/456,504,which was filed on Feb. 8, 2017, all applications which are incorporatedherein in their entireties for all purposes.

In some embodiments, the cloud storage and computing technologies caninvolve a cloud database. Merely by way of example, the cloud platformcan include a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a communitycloud, a distributed cloud, an inter-cloud, a multi-cloud, or the like,or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the mobile device(e.g., smartphone) can be connected to the cloud through any type ofnetwork, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network(WAN).

In some embodiments, the data (e.g., images of the sample) related tothe sample is sent to the cloud without processing by the mobile deviceand further analysis can be conducted remotely. In some embodiments, thedata related to the sample is processed by the mobile device and theresults are sent to the cloud. In some embodiments, both the raw dataand the results are transmitted to the cloud.

OTHER EXAMPLES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A1. A device for monitoring hair status of a subject, comprising:

-   -   (a) a hair holder that is configured to accommodate a plurality        of hairs and restrict the movement of the hairs, wherein the        hair holder comprises a liquid material that is in contact with        the hairs; and    -   (b) an adaptor that connects the hair holder to a mobile device,        wherein, the adaptor positions the plurality of hairs in the        hair holder in a field of view of an imager, wherein, the imager        is a part of or the entirety of the mobile device and can        capture, analyze, or digitally transmit images of the hairs or        processed results of the images of the hairs to a remote third        party for further analysis.        CR1. A device for monitoring hair status of a subject,        comprising:    -   (a) a hair holder with at least one groove to accommodate a        plurality of hairs and restrict the movement of the plurality of        hairs, wherein the hair holder comprises a liquid material that        is in contact with the plurality of hairs; and    -   (b) an adaptor that connects the hair holder to a mobile device,        wherein, the adaptor, positions the plurality of hairs in the        view field of an imager, wherein, the imager is a part of or is        the entirety of the mobile device.        CR2. A system for rapidly analyzing the hair status of a subject        using a mobile device, comprising:    -   (a) a hair holder with at least one groove to accommodate a        plurality of hairs and to restrict the movement of the plurality        of hairs, wherein, the hair holder comprises a liquid material        that is in contact with the plurality of hairs,    -   (b) an adaptor that connects the hair holder to a mobile device;        and    -   (c) a mobile device comprising an imager, wherein the imager is        a part of or the entirety of the mobile device and can capture,        analyze, or digitally transmit images of the hairs or processed        results of the images of the hairs to a remote third party for        further analysis.        A2. A method of monitoring the hair status of a subject,        comprising:    -   (a) obtaining a hair holder that is configured to accommodate a        plurality of hairs and restrict the movement of the plurality of        hairs,    -   (b) obtaining an adaptor that connects a hair holder to a mobile        device,    -   (c) placing the plurality of hairs in the hair holder and        connecting the hair holder into the adaptor, wherein the hair        holder further comprises a liquid material that is in contact        with the plurality of hairs,    -   (d) attaching the adaptor to the mobile device,    -   (e) capturing images of the plurality of hairs in the hair        holder with an imager, wherein, the imager is a part of or the        entirety of the mobile device and can capture, analyze, or        digitally transmit images of the hairs or processed results of        the images of the hairs to a remote third party for further        analysis.        A3. A method of monitoring hair status of a subject, comprising:    -   (a) obtaining a hair holder that comprises a first plate and a        second plate with a groove, wherein the second plate with groove        is configured to accommodate one or more strands of hair,    -   (b) placing one or more strands of hair on the second plate with        a groove and rubbing the one or more strands of hair by hand        into groove,    -   (d) closing the first plate and second plate with a groove and        connecting the hair holder to an adaptor,    -   (e) attaching the adaptor to the mobile device; and    -   (f) capturing images of the plurality of hairs in the hair        holder with an imager, wherein, the imager is a part of or the        entirety of the mobile device and can capture, analyze, or        digitally transmit images of the hairs or processed results of        the images of the hairs to a remote third party for further        analysis.        CR3. A method of monitoring the hair status of a subject,        comprising:    -   (a) obtaining a hair holder that is configured to accommodate a        plurality of hairs wherein the hair holder has at least one        groove to restrict the movement of hairs;    -   (b) obtaining an adaptor that is configured to connect the hair        holder to a mobile device;    -   (c) placing the plurality of hairs in the hair holder and        inserting the hair holder into the adaptor, wherein the hair        holder comprises a liquid material that is in contact with the        plurality of hairs,    -   (d) attaching the adaptor to the mobile device; and    -   (e) capturing images of the plurality of hairs in the hair        holder with an imager, wherein, the imager is a part of or the        entirety of the mobile device and can capture, analyze, or        digitally transmit images of the hairs or processed results of        the images of the hairs to a remote third party for further        analysis.        CR4. A method of monitoring the hair status of a subject,        comprising:    -   (a) obtaining a hair holder that comprises a first plate and a        second plate, wherein at least one of the plates comprises at        least one groove configured to accommodate a plurality of hairs,    -   (b) placing a plurality of hairs on one of the plates with a        groove, and rubbing at least one strand of hair from the        plurality of hairs by hand to position at least one strand of        hair in the groove;    -   (c) obtaining an adaptor that connects the hair holder to a        mobile device    -   (d) closing the plates and inserting the plates into the        adaptor;    -   (e) attaching the adaptor to the mobile device; and    -   (f) capturing images of the plurality of hairs in the hair        holder with an imager, wherein, the imager is a part of or the        entirety of the mobile device and can capture, analyze, or        digitally transmit images of the hairs or processed results of        the images of the hairs to a remote third party for further        analysis.        B1.1 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the subject is a mammal.        B1.2 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the subject is a human.        B1.3 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the subject is suffering from a disease or condition        that affects hair quality or hair amount.        B1.4 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the subject is suffering from a disease or condition        that causes baldness.        B1.5 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the subject is a human that is suffering from a disease        or condition that affects hair quality or hair amount.        B4.1 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hair holder comprises a first plate and a second        plate, wherein the two plates are configured to be capable of        being pressed together and restrict the movement of the hairs.        B4.2 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hair holder comprises a first plate and a second        plate, wherein the two plates are configured to be capable of        being pressed together with a uniform gap between the plates,        wherein the gap accommodates the hairs.        B4.3 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hair holder is a part of or the entirety of a QMAX        device.        B3.7 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hair holder comprises a first plate and a second        plate, where one of the plates comprises a groove configured to        accommodate the hair strands.        CR4. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hair holder with at least one strand of hair        comprise a liquid material that is in contact with a least one        strand of hair.        B5.1 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the liquid material is water.        B5.2 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the liquid material is a glue.        B5.3 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the liquid material is positioned between the plates and        in contact with at least one strand of hair.        A3.1 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the liquid material that is in contact with at least one        strand of hair is added before closing the two plates.        B3.1 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the adaptor comprises optical elements that are        configured to optimize capturing the image of the target area.        B3.2 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the optical elements comprise an internal lens.        B3.3 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the optical elements comprise an illumination        re-distributor that is positioned before a light source in the        camera.        B3.4 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the illumination re-distributor is configured to        re-distribute the light from the light source, providing even        illumination of the target area.        B3.5 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the adaptor comprises a stabilizing structure that is        configured to removably attached to the body part.        B3.6 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the adaptor comprises a light shielding cover that is        configured to shield the target area from ambient light.        B2.1 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.        B2.2 The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the mobile device further comprises a light source.        A2.3. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the image is captured with illumination from the light        source in the adaptor.        A6.1. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        further comprising analyzing hair quality and determining a        suitable hair care product for the subject.        A6.1. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        further comprising displaying information related to the        suitable hair care product on the mobile device.        A6.3. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the processed results and/or images are sent to third        party that is a medical professional.        A6.4. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the processed results and/or images are stored locally        or in a cloud network.        A6.5. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        further comprising determining local hair density in a hair        growing area on the subject's body.        A6.6. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        further comprising analyzing hair density and determining a        suitable hair growing product for the subject.        A7.1. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hair status includes one or more traits consisting        of: hair density, hair color, hair smoothness, hair texture,        hair thickness, hair curliness, and hair volume.        A7.2. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hair status includes all traits of: hair density,        hair color, hair smoothness, hair texture, hair thickness, hair        curliness, and hair volume.        A7.3. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hair status includes the traits of: hair density,        hair texture, and hair volume.        A7.4. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hairs are connected to the subject.        A7.5. The devices, systems, or methods of any prior embodiments,        wherein the hairs are separated from the subject.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for examining one or a plurality ofhairs from a mammal, comprising: (a) obtaining a hair-holding devicecomprising: (i) a first plate and a second plate that are movablerelative to each other into different configurations, including an openconfiguration and a closed configuration; (ii) a groove disposed on thesurface of the second plate, wherein the groove is configured toaccommodate one or a plurality of hairs, wherein the groove has a depthof 3 mm or less and a length of at least 5 mm; (b) depositing, at theopen configuration, the one or a plurality of hairs on the second plate;(c) rubbing the one or a plurality of hairs by hand to position at leastone strand of the one or a plurality of hair into the groove; (d)having, after step (c), the two plates in the closed configuration, and(e) analyzing the hair; wherein the analyzing comprises a step ofimaging, using an imager, one or more images of the hair placed in thegroove and a step of using the images; wherein, in the openconfiguration, the two plates are configured to be partially orcompletely separated apart so that the hair is deposited in the groove,wherein in the closed configuration, which is configured after the hairis deposited in the open configuration, the first plate is placed on topof the second plate, covering the groove, wherein the position of thegroove on the second plate is configured to make at least a part of thehair placed in the groove to be imaged in the field of view of theimager, wherein the imager is configured to view at least a part of thesurface of the second plate, and wherein the hair has a diameter of 500um or less and a length of 4 mm or longer.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the hair-holding device further comprises a hinge that connectsthe first plate and the second plate.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe hair holding device further comprises spacers, wherein the spacers(i) are fixed on the inner surface of one or both of the plates, and(ii) have a uniform height of 300 um or less; and wherein, in the closedconfiguration, the first plate is place on top of the second plate,covering the groove, and the spacers regulate the spacing between theinner surfaces of the first and second plates.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the spacers are pillars.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thegroove has a width of 3 mm or less.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe analyzing comprises chemical, biological and/or physical analysis.7. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises measuring thehair's PH value.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step ofproviding a recommendation that is based on the analyzing.
 9. The methodof claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises reactions of the hair withone or more chemical reagents.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein theanalyzing comprises analyzing hair density, hair color, hair smoothness,hair texture, hair thickness, hair curliness, hair volume, or anycombination of thereof.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the hair isfrom a subject who is suffering from a disease or condition that affectshair quality or hair amount.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein theanalyzing comprises analysis of a protein, a nucleic acid, a smallmolecule, a cell, a bacterium, or a virus in or on the hair.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises fluorescence imaging,bright field optics, dark field optics, or spectrophotometric analysis.14. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises animmunoassay, a nucleic acid assay, a colorimetric assay, or animmunocytochemistry.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising astep of providing a recommendation that is based on the analyzing,wherein the analyzing comprises determining hair volume, which can berelated to the subject's health status, personal hygiene, dietinghabits, and environmental conditions.
 16. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising a step of providing a recommendation that is based on theanalyzing, wherein the analyzing comprises the hair of the subject whois suffering from a disease or condition that affects hair quality orhair amount.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the imager comprises acamera of a smart phone.
 18. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdigitally transmitting images of the hairs or processed results of theimages of the hairs to a remote third party for further analysis. 19.The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the processed resultsand/or images to a third party that is a medical professional.
 20. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising analyzing hair quality anddetermining a suitable hair care product for the subject.
 21. The methodof claim 1, further comprising analyzing hair density and determining asuitable hair growing product for the subject.
 22. The method of claim1, wherein the hair-holding device further comprises a liquid materialthat is in contact with a least one strand of hair.
 23. A method forexamining a microfiber, comprising: obtaining a device comprising: (i) afirst plate, a second plate that are movable relative to each other intodifferent configurations, including an open configuration and a closedconfiguration; (ii) a groove disposed on the surface of the secondplate, wherein the groove is configured to accommodate one or aplurality of microfibers, wherein the groove has a depth of 3 mm or lessand a length at least 5 mm; depositing the microfiber into the groove;imaging, using an imager, one or more images of the microfiber placed inthe groove; and analyzing, using the images, the microfiber; wherein, inthe open configuration, the two plates are configured to be partially orcompletely separated apart, so that a microfiber sample from a subjectis deposited in the groove, wherein in the closed configuration, whichis configured after the microfiber is deposited in the openconfiguration, the first plate is placed on top of the second plate,covering the groove, wherein the position of the groove on the secondplate is configured to make at least a part of the microfiber placed inthe groove being imaged in the field of view of the imager, wherein theimager is configured to view at least a part of the surface of thesecond plate, and wherein the microfiber has a diameter of 500 um orless and a length of 4 mm or longer.